The majority of engines require oil for lubrication. Heat, dirt and normal wear and tear of the engine all contribute to the inherent breakdown of the oil, which therefore requires periodic changing. Containers for collecting used motor oil are well known in the art. The most common of such containers is an open-ended pan or bowl that is positioned directly under the engine's oil plug. Improvements in oil collection devices have produced generally closed containers having an opening into which the used oil is directed by a funneling device. Such opening, or a special second opening, is then used at a later time to empty the container.
Examples of a variety of different devices for collecting used motor oil are shown in the following U.S. Patents:
__________________________________________________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. INVENTOR ISSUE DATE TITLE __________________________________________________________________________ 5,503,246 Raboin et al. April 2, 1996 CRANKCASE OIL DRAIN PAN 5,301,724 Maxwell April 12, 1994 OIL COLLECTING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS 5,285,824 Krstovic Feb. 15, 1994 VEHICLE OIL DRAINAGE APPARATUS AND METHOD 5,099,872 Tarvin et al. March 31, 1992 LAND-BASED SPILL COLLECTION SYSTEM 5,082,035 Maxwell Jan. 21, 1992 OIL COLLECTING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS 4,881,650 Bartz Nov. 21, 1989 FLUID COLLECTION CONTAINER 4,632,268 Melzi Dec. 30, 1986 DISPOSABLE OIL DRAIN PAN AND CONTAINER COMBINATION 4,533,042 Pollacco Aug. 6, 1985 MOTOR OIL CHANGE KIT AND CATCH PAN FOR USE IN CHANGING AUTOMOTIVE MOTOR OIL 4,513,865 Melzi April 30, 1985 DISPOSABLE OIL DRAIN PAN AND CONTAINER COMBINATION 4,488,584 Hestehave et al. Dec. 18, 1984 DRAINER CONTAINER AND FUNNEL 4,274,645 Ferguson et al. June 23, 1981 PORTO AUTO OIL EASY DRAIN 4,098,398 Meyers July 4, 1978 CONTAINER FOR RECYCLE OF MOTOR OIL 3,667,573 Edwards June 6, 1972 DRAIN SPOUT ATTACHMENT 2,594,779 Huffman April 29, 1952 APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND LUBRICATING __________________________________________________________________________
While many of the devices disclosed in the above patents facilitate the collection of used motor oil over the standard open-top oil collection bowl, each still exhibits some drawback or inconvenience in use. For example, many of the devices, such as those disclosed in the Krstovic, Bartz and Melzi patents, have no means for positioning the collection area close to the drain plug opening without physically moving the entire container right up next to the plug. The devices of the Maxwell '035, Maxwell '724 and Huffman patents all include a collection funnel member that is connected by a flexible conduit to the container, but the funnel members of each of those devices does not permit easy or precise positioning directly to the drain opening.
What is needed is an oil collection assembly that permits easier and more precise positionment of the collecting member to the drain opening as well as a better means for collection of oil splash or overflow.